On September 17, of 1925, Kahlo was riding in a bus when the vehicle collided with a trolley car. She suffered serious injuries in the accident, including a broken spinal column , a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, dislocated right foot and a dislocated shoulder. An iron handrail pierced her abdomen and her uterus, which seriously damaged her reproductive ability.Although she recovered from her injuries and eventually regained her ability to walk, she suffered all her life. She had thirty-five operations as a result of the accident.

After the accident, Kahlo turned her attention to paint. The accident left her in pain so she painted during her recovery. Kahlo said, "I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best." Her works have the characteristic of showing pain.

Frida Kahlo died on July 13, of 1954, but before her death she wrote in her diary: "I hope the exit is joyful and I hope never to return ".The official cause of death was given as pulmonary embolism, although some suspected that she died from overdose .She had been very ill throughout the previous year and her right leg had been amputated because of gangrene.